


Peach Baskets and Dandelion Fluff

by AnneBlack



Series: Florets [1]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M, Gen, Riarkle, Romance, joshaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-28 00:25:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13892328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneBlack/pseuds/AnneBlack
Summary: Josh stared out at the sky for a few moments before going to stop the motor and let the cars off. As the sky turned bright blue, they said their goodbyes--Josh still had his shift to finish--and returned to their hotel where an extensive amount of time was taken for Maya to finish her masterpieces--which she refused to show to any one member of the Matthews’ family(save for Auggie, of course). It remained Maya Hart’s only strangely-meaningful interaction with the boy she’d just met until Riley’s 21st birthday, eight years later.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This ties into the Riarkle fic which I will rename as "Home".  
> So I didn't get a chance to finish this but I will get the rest out hopefully by next month. Enjoy and stay tuned--kudos and comments are appreciated!  
> ~Anne

\--pov: none

“Uncle Josh!” He looked up at his optimistic niece’s voice. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas,” he greeted with a smile as he was tackled in a hug. “Any tagalongs besides yourself?”

“Yep--my mom and my friend Maya.” “Josh, hi!” Topanga smiled as she boarded. “I don’t suppose you have freebies for family?” “Aw, I would, Tomato, but Dad said no freebies for anyone when I went out today,” Josh teased, side-hugging her and taking Riley’s offered three dollars.

“Oh, right--you haven’t met Maya yet!” His niece exclaimed, taking a short blonde by the shoulders and pulling her in front of him. 

“Riles, calm down,” the blonde groused, “It’s like two in the morning and you dragged me all the way here.”

“Peaches,” Riley cooed with a soft laugh, “It’s four in the morning and the sun’s going to rise soon. You said you needed more inspiration and we’re going to get it. Now say hello to my Uncle Josh.”

“ _Peaches_ ,” she grumbled before scrunching up her face. “I’m Maya. Hello, Riley’s Uncle Josh.”

“Nice to meet you,” he laughed, going over to start the motor. “You’re Riley’s artist friend?”

“That’s the one.” Maya finally looked up, rubbing her eyes groggily, and he met the most defiantly sparkling blue eyes he’d ever met. Josh looked away before he could get lost in them, but he felt her gaze burning his back as he said, “The sun’s going to rise in a few minutes. Riley, did you bring your camera?”

“The one Uncle Shawn gave to me,” the bright-eyed brunette credited, “Yep.”

“Hot cocoa, anyone?” Topanga produced three thermos’ from her purse and the girls rushed over to take one--though Maya reached for a second, Mrs. Matthews laughing and letting her have it.

“Always prepared,” Josh commented with a grin. He didn’t notice Maya slip a warm brown Instant camera out of her bag and snap a quick picture of him turned to the ocean, before she slipped it back into the bag and took a sip of her hot cocoa--she was a ninja when it came to these sorts of things, in his defense.

The sky brightened and Riley _wow_ ed in awe as the stars disappeared with the blue-purple of the few clouds sweeping over them. Maya stood, pulling out her camera again and moving to the other side of the ferry for a few candids that she conceded turned out quite nicely.

Josh stared out at the sky for a few moments before going to stop the motor and let the cars off. As the sky turned bright blue, they said their goodbyes--Josh still had his shift to finish--and returned to their hotel where an extensive amount of time was taken for Maya to finish her masterpieces--which she refused to show to any one member of the Matthews’ family(save for Auggie, of course). It remained Maya Hart’s only strangely-meaningful interaction with the boy she’d just met until Riley’s 21st birthday, eight years later.

 

 

 

 

 

\--pov change: boing

-  
\--  
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“Hey, is this Joshua Matthews?” 

It took him a moment to recognize the voice over the waves of loud music and laughter. “Maya?... It’s one in the morning…”

“Can you drive?”

 _Well, of course he could. What a dumb question. Why’s she asking?_  
_She’s at a party, you dumbass. She can’t drive herself_ , he scolded himself. 

“Where are you at?”

Few other questions were asked until they were in the Matthews’ household with Riley safe in bed and Maya, Josh, and 14-year-old Auggie sitting on the couch watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. at unholy hours. 

“I can’t believe this,” Josh repeated. “You got into a fight?”

“Yes, Josh,” Maya said with an annoyed wince. “And I told you already, I don’t need anything. I’m fine.” She pulled away from him and took the towel herself, using it to clean up her bloody nose before taking it to the sink. “Riley nearly broke her arm. I wouldn’t… Nothing’s worse than that.” Somehow between her phone call and Josh’s arrival, there had been an incredibly violent fight. Maya would bear a few scars and Riley would be sore into the morning; though nothing a stabbing headache couldn’t overpower. 

_“She’s been pining over Farkle for months,”_ Maya had explained when Josh had asked why Riley had gotten herself wasted. _“She didn’t tell him how she felt in high school and she’s too scared to tell her now, even though Farkle’s the one who had the helpless crush on her before. We’ve had a few fights about it--terrible ones, and she’s been avoiding him for so long.”_ She’d then paused before saying softly, _“He’ll be there when she wakes up, though. He’s driving from his old place so he’ll be here soon.”_ Josh had nodded and they’d driven the rest of the way home in silence. 

“Wait, why didn’t you drive yourself?”

“Buzzed driving is drunk driving, Josh. I wasn’t going to risk it, especially with Riley,” she replied hotly, returning from the kitchen. “I thought you didn’t like breaking the rules.”

“I don’t! I follow them, it’s just--why did you do it?”

“They started it, Josh, and--”

“Do you guys want anything to eat?” Auggie stood, his eyes glinting as he met Maya’s. She took a deep breath and cast him a grateful smile. “Cheddar popcorn would be fine--and could you grab some popsicles from the back of the fridge?”

While Maya and Riley had been out, Josh had been filling in for the Matthews’ parents--Cory and Topanga were in Philadelphia visiting Mr. Feeny and spending the night at _their_ parents’ house.

“I thought you didn’t want to fight, to be like Texas Lucas,” Josh argued as she stopped at the edge of the couch. 

“I only fought once, and it was for Riley. I was trying to defend her and it got out of hand. But I was trying to keep her safe--and you should understand that, she’s your niece! Do you even--do you even _care?_ ”

“I know that. I care, Maya, but what about you? You didn’t protect yourself. What would have happened if I didn’t get there in time? If you went down and no one was there for Riley?”

The blonde went deadly quiet, but she didn’t sound angry when she next spoke.

She sounded _broken_.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, her eyes glistening, and curling in like she’d been punched in the stomach. She swallowed hard a few times before sitting down on the arm of the couch. “This is all my fault--I wasn’t thinking and I was so stupid--”

“You were trying to do what you thought was best, Maya, even if you weren’t thinking straight. It’s not your fault--you didn’t have time to.”

“I should have.” She shook her head and tugged at her hair harshly. “Farkle always thought first, but instinct is my thing. I…” Her phone rang and she pulled her bag off her shoulders, her expression hardening and blue eyes sparking furiously. “Isaiah Earl Babineaux, if you _ever_ drag me to a ‘five star’ bar suggested by your buddies again, you’re not living to see the sun.” There was a pause before she answered, “ _Yes_ , something bad happened. Idiot.” Auggie handed her a popsicle and she took it with a sigh, going to talk in the parents’ room.

Auggie sighed and shook his head at his uncle. “How come you won’t tell her you like her?” he asked as he picked at an “Auggie and Ava”-patented sticker off the table from when they were eight.

“What? _No,_ I don’t--she’s three years younger than me!” Josh spluttered, his cheeks flushing pink as a goofy smile crept onto his face and wouldn’t stop no matter how hard he tried to chide his nephew.

“Ay-ay-ay,” Auggie rolled his eyes, “You’re hopeless, Uncle Josh.”

WIFEY:  
Has he asked her to marry him yet?

AUGGIE-DOGGY:  
...Ava, I’ve told you a million times, that’s not how love works  
They’ve only met a few times.

WIFEY:  
But you’re uncle’s so in love!! How is our plan not working?

AUGGIE-DOGGY:  
Give it some time, Ava. A watched pot never boils.

WIFEY:  
Does it explode into love and happiness???  
Please tell me it does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AUGGIE-DOGGY:  
Very cute, but we have school tomorrow.  
Goodnight my sweet <3

WIFEY:  
Fine….  
Goodnight Augs. <3

(tell me when something happens though. :/ )

 

 

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She was sleeping…

Josh sighed and put down the bags of medicine he’d gotten for Maya. She’d gotten sick, while making the(bad) choice to come pay him a visit in Philidelphia with full intent to stay over(asking if it was okay first, of course). Which resulted in him going to get her medicine and Maya falling asleep… in the smack-dab middle of his bed.

He smiled as he watched her sleep, soft snores escaping her small form. Her long blonde hair was splayed across the pillows, her arms still slipped through the sleeves of her barely discarded coat. Josh took a deep breath, then slowly slid her coat off and pulled her blanket over her shoulders. He picked up the coat, set down a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water, and was about to leave when he heard her croaky voice.

“Josh?” She pushed her hair out of her face. “Did I take your bed? I’m so sorry, I’ve just been so tired…” A yawn swallowed her next words.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Josh assured her gently. “Get some rest. We can talk when you’re better.”

“Noooo…” Maya sat up, coming her fingers painfully through her hair. “I want to go eat.”

“Eat…? No, no, no, Maya--you need to sleep…” 

She was already getting up, despite his protests. “Fresh air is good for the soul. I’ll be fine. Let’s go get some Philly food.”

They ended up at Josh’s favorite bakery for breakfast--sticky buns glazed with honey and pecans. Maya devoured his and ordered another, Josh insisting he pay and the small blonde narrowing her eyes at him--her mouth was full and she could hardly argue.

“So…” Josh started when she was done eating, stirring his coffee quietly. “Would you… want to be my girlfriend?”

He looked up at her, cheeks burning, and found her frozen.

“Girl… girlfriend…?” she repeated softly. “Like… for real?”

“If you--Only if you want it to be.”

The blonde beauty looked down, her eyes on her empty plate. She seemed to ponder it a moment longer before whispering, “I… I need some time to think about it. I’m sorry, I just…”

“No, it’s fine.”

There was an awkwardly long moment before Maya stood. “I gotta go to the restroom. I’ll... be back.”

Josh closed his eyes the moment she was gone, then pulled out his phone and texted his probable-niece.

Ava was going to want to hear about this.

 

pov change: the girl with the biggest heart

 

“Josh asked me out--”

“ _What?_ DID YOU SAY YES? WHAT HAPPENED?”

Maya winced at her best friend’s enthusiastic voice. “I said I had to think about it, Riles, and gave him some lame excuse to call you so I need you to calm down.”

“SAY YES.”

Farkle’s voice crackled through-- “Riles, give me the phone,”--and then she was talking to the young billionare. “What’s going on?”

“Josh asked me to be his girlfriend and I don’t know what to do.”

“Has he showed any signs of liking you before?”

“Well, yeah, he’s overly nice, but I thought it was just because he was a Matthews. I had no idea. I…”

“Maya, this is the guy you’ve had a crush on for years. If you really want to, say yes. It’s your decision.” He stopped, then said gently, “You might not get another chance.”

Maya smiled, staring at herself in the mirror. “You’re--yeah. You’re right. Thank you, Farkle.”

“No worries. Good luck.” The line clicked off and she took a deep breath, slipping her phone into her pocket and leaving the restroom. 

“Are you okay?” Josh asked as he stood, his gaze meeting hers. “Do you want to go back to my place?”

“No, no--” she waved him off, “Let’s go do something. It’s like a national holiday.”

“National Donut Day isn’t a--”

“Shush-ush-ush--let’s go.”

 

 

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“Hello… Josh?”

Maya stiffened as she heard her mother speak. They’d decided to go on a first date(finally) and Josh had told her he’d meet her at Rockefeller Center to watch the Christmas tree-lighting. In accordance with the fact that they were closer she’d gone to her parents’ house to say hello and get ready.  
“Hello, Mrs. Hunter. I’ve come to pick up Maya?”

Apparently though, he’d known and come to pick her up.

“She’ll be ready in a few minutes--and call me Katy.”

“Hey, Shawn…”

“Mr. Hunter is fine, Joshua.”

She held back a snort as her father spoke, pulling her hair into a bun and checking herself in the mirror. 

“What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Maya snickered and looked around, picking up her old leather jacket from back in high school. She stared at it for a long moment, then slipped it on quietly. It still fit snugly--she, unsurprisingly, hadn’t grown too much over the years.

“I want to do what’s best for her, sir. I promise.”

“But will you know what to do when you need to? Maya’s been through a lot and we’ve been fixing so much. How do you know that you won’t break it all--?”

At that Maya emerged from her room, silencing him.

The goofy grin that broke out on Josh’s face made her smile as well, and Shawn relaxed as he noticed the way he was staring at her. Not like an object--like she was the most beautiful thing in the entire world.

“Shall we go?” Maya asked, grabbing her purse from the counter and tapping the wall twice with her heel. What time should we be back? Katy nodded; she understood. “Make sure your back by ten,” she said in her best motherly voice and Maya nodded, hugging her tightly. “See you later, Mom. Love you, Dad!”

“So, why’d you pick me up early, Boing?” 

“Boing?”

She grinned and nudged him lightly. “Old nickname.”

He rolled his eyes. “Just to let you know, both your parents agreed to this.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t believe my dad would agree to anything with you included.”

“Well, he did.” Josh turned in his seat and said with a dramatic flourish, “Would you like to come with me to the magical world of a once-in-a-lifetime exhibit for Winter?”

Maya groaned at his cheesiness, though she perked up as his words settled. “Wait--the Snow-White exhibit?”

“Yep.”

“Doesn’t that mean we’re leaving NYC?” Her brows furrowed. “And that the show’s tomorrow?”

“Yep.” There was an amused tone to his voice. “Your bags have been packed and loaded courtesy or Riley, Farkle and Zay, and they’ve already headed out to where we’re staying.”

Maya supressed a grin. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

“It took a few months.”

She smiled. “Did Riley help?”

“It was mostly Farkle. But Zay suggested where you’d want to go--and Lucas gave me a pat on the back and said, ‘Good luck, don’t get a smoothie poured on your head.’”

“Aaaand?”

“And Smackle put a stack of books on art in the trunk before I left Topanga’s.” He paused. “ _And_ Ava called everyone after I asked you out and told them to plan something huge.” Josh cast a glance over at her. “Enough for you?”

“Enough for me to know you’ve been hiding things from me for a very long time,” Maya said softly. She arched a dramatic eyebrow and asked, “How long has all this been going on?”

Josh looked away. “A few months, I already said…”

“Not the date-planning, Boing,” she smiled sadly.

“Ever since we met--when I was ten.” He braced for the teasing, but she didn’t say anything snide.

“I’d say… the sunrise, when you used to work on the ferry.” 

His reaction came slower than he expected; he stopped at the red light before he turned to look at her and his eyes widened. “Wait--you--?”

Maya fiddled with her jacket. “You’re not the only one who can hide things.”

They were silent for a few minutes before she built up the courage to reach over and clasp his hand in hers. He stiffened in surprise, then exhaled slowly and folded his fingers through the blonde’s. She bit her lip to keep in her smile, looking out the window and watching the world fly past.

He gave her hand a squeeze and she squeezed back with a grin. 

Life was good, at least for the moment, and she wasn’t going to let it slip out of her hands.

 

 

\--pov: boing

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“You know, you two are my only hope in this world.”

Josh had taken Ava out to Baskin Robbin’s for Christmas just before their usual A Christmas Carol play and they’d been talking when the teenager had brought up Maya. 

He’d started blushing and she’d declared why she’d supported them for so long, smacking her cup of Bananas’ Foster onto the table with a grin. 

Josh bit the inside of his cheek before saying, “I was looking for a ring this morning…”

Ava was grinning like a Cheshire cat when he looked up. “...What? You aren’t saying anything…? Are you okay--”

“No, it’s just that Auggie’s been telling me to listen more lately so I’ve been trying to listen patiently.”

He smiled and looked down, shaking his head. “Go ahead.”

The fifteen-year-old squealed with excitement, bouncing in her chair. “Have you found one yet? When are you proposing? _Where_ are you proposing? Oh my gosh, this is so exciting--can I be your maid of honor?”

“No. Soon. Her place. Aaand I think Riley might take that role.”

She deflated for a moment before moving on with a barrage of questions, leaving Josh to answer them and, as they left for the play, to wonder whether Shawn would ever agree to letting them marry. 

 

“Mr. Hunter! Hi!” Josh started nervously as the door opened. The father stared at him for a long moment of silence before saying, “Maya isn’t here. She’s out with Riley and Smackle.”

“Um, yeah. About Maya… Sir--”

“You’re going to ask her to marry you, aren’t you?”

Josh looked up, startled. “How’d you know?”

“Come inside. Katy’s asleep.”

Shawn Patrick Hunter headed to the kitchen, returning with two mugs of coffee and handing one to Josh(who was wondering why in the world the overprotective father was being so strange).

“You love her, right?” Shawn sat down on the couch and the younger man followed cautiously. 

“Yes… I do, sir.”

Shawn smiled down at the floor. “I have nothing to say but that I give you my blessing.”

“Thank--” Josh straightened self-consciously. “Wait, really?”

“I’m gettin’ old, Matthews. I’ve been waiting since you two met for you two ask her, but you two pulled the Long Game on me.”

Josh grinned and said softly, “Thank you.”

“Thank _you_ , Josh. And now get out. It’s two in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Shawn.” He paused before stepping out the door. “By the way, how’d you know I was going to ask you?”

“Ah, certain bratty fourteen-year-old keeping me up all night.” Shawn smiled, “Goodnight, Josh.”

He gave a last wave as he walked out into the night and texted his girlfriend.

 

**Boing: You home?**

**Gorgeous: Soon… Just headed out in an Uber. Bee there soon <3**

**Boing: Ok--see you <3**

He had time to unravel his master plan.


	2. Master Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh unravels his master plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINISHED!   
> Here you all go, the final chapter of Peach Baskets and Dandelion Fluff. I’m really proud of what I’ve written and I’m happy with it. I hope you like it. Thank you for sticking around, enjoy!

pov change: the girl with the biggest heart

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“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Maya dropped her bags on the floor and tiredly made her way into her small studio home, giving Josh a brief peck on the cheek before going to change into her hope-emblazoned onesie PJs Riley had custom-ordered for her(she’d gotten Riles Rileytown PJs in exchange).

“Coffee?”

“Two shots of espresso, please. And a scoop of sugar.”

“Sugar? You’ve always had it black…”

“Yeah, well, your niece got drunk off her arse and I had to take care of her half the time because Smackle was talking to a certain Ranger Rick.” She sighed as she pulled on her fluffy bathrobe and emerged from her bathroom. “Why’d you come so late?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“And I wanted to sleep,” Maya laughed, taking the cup of coffee he offered. 

Josh smiled. “Can I stay over?”

“Josh, your apartment’s fifteen minutes away…” she paused. “Are you planning something?”

“Just wanted to go to Riley’s with you tomorrow, if Farkle’s going to be there.” 

Maya nudged him gently. “I’ll let you sleep on the floor.”

 

She awoke to a note--

_Good morning. Mints and aspirin, just in case._

\--and a small box of mints as well as a glass of water on her nightstand. Bacon sizzled on the pan in the small kitchen; she decided to help herself to the mints before going out.

For a moment after opening the box, she could barely breathe.

 _WILL YOU MARRY ME?_ was the phrase carefully arranged in the lettered mints, the lid holding(with tape) a folded-up letter.

 _Maya Penelope Hart-Hunter,_  
 _I want to be there for you all the time. When you’re sick and hurting, I want to be there. Whether your world is bright blue or dark grey I want to be there. I want to run with you, chase you down, and I want to be there to see your face when I tell you_ I love you. _Because I do--I do love you. And I hope you do too. Thank you, for helping me realize, it was you all along._  
 _Always yours,_  
 _Joshua Gabriel Matthews._  
 _(P.S. Your dad gives his blessing.)_

“You’re not saying anything.”

She didn’t look up, grinning like an idiot as she read the note over again.

“You have to say something,” Josh teased, smiling softly at her, and she bit back her grin, her eyes turning glassy.

“Yes,” she whispered, her gaze finally moving to him as he leaned on the doorway of the kitchen, plate of pancakes and bacon in hand. “Yes, Josh, I’d love to marry you.”

Her face shone with complete and utter happiness and he looked no further as he found everything he’d been searching for in those striking blue eyes that were far brighter than the sunrise could ever be.

~Fini~


End file.
